Designer book bundles

You see them everywhere.  You see them in catalogs like Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs.  You frequently see them in magazines like Romantic Homes and Country Living.  Well, I found out how to make these bundles and it's really easy!!  More on that in a minute.

 First, pick up some old books at your local thrift store.  The older the better.  Old Readers' Digest books are great for this.  Just look for older ones.  They take the coffee stain well.

Remove the covers and break the book into sections.  Then dip all edges but the spine in some strong instant coffee.  Set outside to dry.

You can see they look old and stained.  Then I bound them up with jute.

This picture makes them look lighter than they really are.  They are wonderfully stained and great decorator pieces.  Most will be for sale in my booth at Merchant Square.

For more complete instructions, please visit Karen Valentine's blog, My Desert Cottage here.  That's where I found the instructions for doing this.  Quick, fun, and decorative!  Thanks, Karen!

Recent book discoveries

Don't ask me where I saw this on the internet. I suspect it was from Joggles.com -- I get their weekly email with all the new things they have in stock. Joggles features a lot of books as well as items for the quilter, art doll maker, sewer, special yarns, ribbons, you name it! They probably have it!! I have bought a lot from them. However. . . . I got this on Amazon.com. It is full of lovely photos of mixed media art work using vintage ephemera and finds. Instructions are offered to recreate some of the projects. In the back are several pages of clip art for the reader's use. Nice book!Another recent book find was this one. I discovered it while reviewing blogs -- in particular, Rebecca Sower's blog. That is where found the link for this book. It is full of pictures and clip art you can use in your own work. The theme of the book is about the time all of these artists spent together in Southern California -- at a trade show, then a whirlwind shopping spree, then back home. The pictures are of their finds and the art work created with those finds. A good read and lovely pictures.

Perhaps I should ask for a sales commission! LOL! I am just happy to put you all onto some good books for your library.